Surge (comics)
Surge (Noriko "Nori" Ashida) is a fictional character, a mutant in the Marvel Universe, one of the student body in the Xavier Institute, and a member of the former New Mutants squad therein. She maintained her powers post M-Day and was the leader of the New X-Men.
Publication history
Surge was created by Nunzio DeFilippis, Christina Weir, Keron Grant and first appeared in New Mutants, vol. 2 #8 (January 2004).
Fictional character biography
Noriko Ashida was born in Japan. She was close to her brother, Keitaro, but she ran away from home after her powers manifested when she was thirteen years old; she claimed that her father "doesn't believe in mutants." How she came to the United States is unknown, but she ended up homeless on the streets of Salem Center, reduced to buying illegal drugs using stolen money. With no training or practice in the use of her powers, Noriko's body would automatically absorb all nearby electricity and, once fully charged, release it in a storm of electrical bolts. In addition, her acceleration ability would force her to speak so quickly that no one could understand her. Though she found no treatment for most of these problems, the drugs would sedate her body enough that she could control her outbursts of electrical power. Keeping herself regularly supplied proved impossible, however, and during a robbery Noriko accidentally hits the young owner of a coffee shop with an electric bolt. A group of young mutants find her and bring her back to the X-Mansion. There, Beast designs gauntlets that regulate her absorption of ambient electricity and discharge as required to prevent further mental overloads.